I didn’t want it to happen…but it’s happened. Sean McVay totally disrespected Jared Goff (by his own admission) this past offseason and rushed into a Cabo love affair with Matthew Stafford and has acted like a teenager in love for the first time…swooning about it all 2021 and into 2022 – and it worked. McVay won. McVay was cold hearted, which is fine, and it was the right move…in the end.

I was anti-Rams the whole way, so I could be depressed…but I just remember that I was pro-Bengals as AFC ‘best’ before it was cool.

Sure, you could say the Rams were lucky to win here. And that they were lucky to win the prior week vs. Tampa Bay – but they won. History is written by the winners. The Rams have grabbed discarded stars like Jalen Ramsey, OBJ, and Von Miller…and Matt Stafford…and, well, here they are – in the Super Bowl.

Now we enter Sean McVay back in the discussion for best head coach in the NFL. I thought he had a chance and we were pushing him as such his first two seasons, but then his 2019 was disappointing and his 2020 was odd and then this Cabo/Stafford nonsense…and he lost me off the bandwagon. But he’s won 11-13-9-10-12 games in his five years as head coach of the Rams with three division titles and two Super Bowl trips. You gotta hand it to him.

I thought the grab of OBJ would blow up in McVay’s face…it didn’t. Quite the opposite…OBJ is making a difference/helping the cause. He’s been a model citizen, for now. Doesn’t matter if he ‘turns’ on them in 2022 season…he’s a cog helping the machine win a Super Bowl now, maybe (I’m picking the Bengals…which means rooting against McVay, which means McVay probably wins).

Hell, McVay is facing Zac Taylor…a not-so-long-ago member of his staff – that’s how good McVay is right now. He’s actually spawning successful branches of a coaching tree. The NFL covets any coach tied to the Rams right now, and for the past three or so years. Kudos to McVay.

The Rams were down 17-7 going into the 4th-quarter of this game and I was sure the 49ers were going to finish a three-game sweep of the Rams this season…but credit to McVay and Stafford, they came back and won it. When you’re faced with the choice of two good teams, but one is QB’d by Matt Stafford, and the other by Jimmy G. – you go with the Stafford one…or, more so, you go with the not-Jimmy G. one.

I’m sure next year the 49ers will not be led by Jimmy G. I’m not 100% sure they will be led by Trey Lance, but probably so. Credit Kyle Shanahan for getting this team this far with the crucial injuries in-season and some in the last few weeks (Trent Williams especially) and in-this-game (Greenlaw). Shanahan may have done a better coaching job overall in 2021, but he didn’t quite have the horses healthy as the Rams were fortunate enough too…but it will be forgotten now. McVay and Shanny will battle for years to come…and that makes Kliff Kingsbury likely on the hot seat in 2022…and Kingsbury is no McVay or Shanahan.

There are so many little things from this game that could’ve changed the outcome. Hell, both teams were even lucky to be here – it should’ve been Green Bay mowing the Rams down here, but it wasn’t. The NFL playoffs are not fair…especially in the 2021 season with all the OT/last second finishes. But we’ll only remember that the Rams won…not the million little playoff things that helped get them here.

I know this…if Sean McVay loses to Zac Taylor, thus loses his 2nd Super Bowl in the past few years…he may not sleep again for a full year/ever.

In a battle of McVay v. Taylor…I’ll take the best of Burrow v. Stafford. Gimme Burrow all the way…

Fantasy Player Notes…

 -- What a fantastic, odd season for Deebo Samuel (4-72-1/7, 7-26-0)…

He started the season as a hot #1 WR, who was doing fine/pretty good until he cashed in on some long TDs (70+ yarders) that were fluky events (but TDs nonetheless) in a couple games…and that really boosted his FF numbers.

Then a pivot happened in Week 10…he started to become a running back half of the time/touches and his target/reception numbers fell off the table, but he kept rushing for TDs within his 5-8 carry, 30–70-yard per game rushing events.

From Week 10 on, Deebo played in 11 games…and scored at least 1 TD in nine of those 11 games. 8 rushing TDs in those 11 games…8 rushing TDs is the equal amount that Saquon Barkley had from his 2019 season to 2021 season end.

Can the TD hot streak keep up in 2022…especially on the rushing side…especially with Trey Lance at QB? It’s a big question of the offseason.

We have to see who his QB is to start with – will it be Lance, or Jimmy G. (probably not) or Aaron Rodgers…or who will it be?

Deebo had the most statistically improbable season I’ve ever seen from a WR. It’s going to be difficult to project him similarly for 2022, but it’s also hard to bet against him…because he never-not scored TDs once he became an RB-WR, defenses were perplexed by him…and only SF is doing such things (in 2021…it could be ‘all the rage’ in 2022).

It will be a debate point all offseason, and we’ll debate it in the Dynasty Offseason/Best Ball area ahead…once we see who the QB is going to be for SF next season.

 -- Is Elijah Mitchell (11-20-0, 3-50-0/3) an RB1 for 2022?

Adding Mitchell’s 11 regular season games + his 3 postseason games, Mitchell’s total 2021 output:

262 carries, 1,132 rushing yards (4.3 ypc), 6 rushing TDs, 26 rec. (29 targets), 194 rec. yards, 1 rec. TD

1,326 total yards, 7 total TDs, no fumbles, 89.7% of his targets caught

His 12.47 FF PPG…would be the #12 PPG RB standard (Weeks 1-17, no Week 18, eight or more games played

His 14.32 PPR PPG…would be the #16 PPG RB in PPR (Weeks 1-17, no Week 18, eight or more games played

Early 2022 ADPs…Mitchell is trading as the #18-22 RB in 2022 drafts…which feels undervalued to me.

 -- How can you explain George Kittle (2-27-1/5) having back-to-back 150+ yards games Week’s 13-14, with 3 TDs…to then Week’s 16 through the playoffs where he had just 1 or 2 catches in a game in four of his final 6 games of the season…five of the 6 games he was under 30 yards in a game?

I keep blasting Kittle (every preseason for FF drafting) for low TD rates (2-5-5-2 TDs 2017 to 2020 season) over his career, not that it’s Kittle’s fault, per se…it has to be the offense’s/QB’s (except he’s played with several QBs in his career). When Kittle scored a sweet 6 TDs in a six game stretch Week’s 9-14 this season, I thought he finally broke through on the TD problem, but then he didn’t score a TD the rest of the season and finished with just those 6 TDs on the season. Pretty weak tally for a ‘top guy’ Fantasy TE. He’s more tease than reality for Fantasy so far. Maybe 2022 with another different QB could help?

Kittle and Julio Jones always seem allergic to TDs, despite their greatness.

 -- Cam Akers (13-48-0, 1-2-0/1) returned Week 18 for a few snaps, and then started back into the flow in the playoffs.

Was he rushed back too quickly? I dunno, but his 2.8 yards per carry in the postseason might suggest it was a bit soon.

Three games played, 18.0 carries per game in the playoffs – he’s McVay’s love child. If Akers is breathing, he’s gonna be the full lead in 2022…and, thus, an RB1 likelihood.

Remember when Darrell Henderson used to be a thing?

Who you got as the better RB1 candidate for 2022…Akers or Mitchell? Akers is already priced that way, but not Mitchell.

 -- Tyler Higbee got injured in-game and lost for the rest of the contest. Kendall Blanton (5-57-0/5) had to step up and had a decent output game. Just note for FF ahead…there’s nothing here for the future.

2021 rookie Jacob Harris might be the future for the Rams at TE, for Fantasy…but not Blanton (a 4.95 40-time runner).

 -- One more flimsy game in the books for Van Jefferson (2-9-0/5) here. I think Jefferson has all but played his way out of any Rams future, and any Dynasty future. I’d be a seller in Dynasty, if I could find anyone who has a strong enough interest.

 -- Where is Jimmy Garoppolo (16-30 for 232 yards, 2 TDs/1 INT) going to play in 2022? Good question.

First things first = Jimmy G. is set to make $27M as the QB if with the 49ers in 2022, unless they cut him by May 2022 for just a tiny $1.4M cap hit. So, Jimmy G. is definitely not being retained. He will go find a nice, solid 3-year contract somewhere else, not San Francisco. It makes no sense for the 49ers to give him a 3-year $40M type deal with $30-40M guaranteed…when they have Trey Lance…and might can get to Aaron Rodgers. The Jimmy G. era is over in San Francisco.

Secondly, he’s definitely one of the 30 best QBs walking the planet. Closer to #30 than #15…but if Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold command dollars and starting jobs, then Jimmy G. will.

Where to? A team that thinks it’s close and would like to use Jimmy G. as a bridge to the future. A team not interested in a rebuild just yet. Who might that be?

There’s not many teams looking for the temporary QB, who thinks they’re close. My early predictions would be:

1) Washington – delusional, as they are…but beware that Rivera loves him some Heinicke.

2) Pittsburgh – will have a very hard time attracting any QBs with options and will probably draft one as well.

3) Carolina – they can ditch Darnold before his 5th-year option is kicked in and try to grab JG to win now…to save Matt Rhule’s job RIGHT NOW.

4) New Orleans – a decent base where JG could jump right into and help right away.

Not Denver.

Snap Counts of Interest:

44 = Michel

30 = Akers

77 = Kupp

67 = Van J

66 = OBJ

24 = E Mitch

07 = Hasty